The Beer Nut: Spotlight on Berliner weisse

The perfect summer beer is a Berliner weisse, a German-style sour wheat beer that’s like a good, tart lemonade that makes you want to drink, sip after sip while relaxing.

By Norman Miller/DAILY NEWS STAFF

Milford Daily News

By Norman Miller/DAILY NEWS STAFF

Posted Jul. 31, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 31, 2013 at 4:59 AM

By Norman Miller/DAILY NEWS STAFF

Posted Jul. 31, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 31, 2013 at 4:59 AM

» Social News

On a hot summer day you don’t want a heavy beer that fills you up and makes you feel sluggish.

No, a hot summer day is meant for a beer that quenches your thirst, one that you can’t wait for the next sip.

The perfect summer beer is a Berliner weisse, a German-style sour wheat beer that’s like a good, tart lemonade that makes you want to drink, sip after sip while relaxing.

Berliner weisse is not a new style of beer. It’s been around since the 1600s, but these beers have gained a growing popularity in the United States in the past few years thanks to releases from popular breweries like Dogfish Head Craft Ales in Delaware and the Bruery in California.

Berliner weisses are typically low-alcohol beers, sometimes 3 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) or lower, although some American versions are higher.

Berliner weisses are wheat beers and are typically cloudy. Unlike other German wheat beers, Berliner weisses are brewed using a bacteria, called Lactobacillus. This gives beers a tart, funky and sour flavor. If you’re not used to those flavors, they can be a turn-off, but once you get used to them they can be a true delight.

In Germany, and some U.S. brewpubs, a Berliner weisse is served with a shot of syrup, often raspberry or woodruff, to provide a sweetness that is not there, although I prefer it without the syrup.

A growing number of Berliner weisses are available on store shelves. Here’s a rundown of some to seek out if you’re interested in trying the style.

Dogfish Head’s Festina Peche is a 4.5 percent ABV version of the style that is more tart than sour. It smells strongly of peaches, with just a hint of apple. Flavor-wise, the peach is the dominant flavor with a hint of acidity. The fresh peach flavor acts in the way the syrup is supposed to, balancing out the tartness to create a refreshing beverage.

The Bruery’s Hottenroth is a 3.1 percent ABV Berliner weisse. The Hottenroth is brewed with both Lactobacillus, as well as a wild yeast called Brettanomyces. The Hottenroth has the traditional tartness, but smells almost farm-like with hay and grass in the background.

When you take the first sip, you’ll first notice a tart, lemony flavor, quickly followed by an almost-grassy wheat flavors from the wheat malt. It’s available in 750 ml bottles, but despite the large bottle, you won’t want to share it.

New England is home to several well-done Berliner weisses. The Nightshift Brewery in Everett brews four versions of the style, all 5.5 percent ABV. The Ever Weiss is brewed with strawberries, kiwis and hibiscus. The Somer Weisse is brewed with lemongrass and ginger. The Mainer Weisse is brewed with wild blueberries and cinnamon sticks and the Cape Codder is made with cranberries and Florida oranges.

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The Tap Brewery in Haverhill has brewed the Intergalactic Acid Berliner Weiss at the brewpub, where it was incredibly popular. This year, they released it in 22-ounce bottles for the first time. White Birch Brewing of New Hampshire has redone its Berliner Weisse recipe this year, bringing the alcohol down to 5.5 percent ABV, when it was well over 6 percent previously.

If you want to try a German version of the style, the Brettanomyces Lambicus Berliner-Style Weisse from Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei is worth seeking out. It is lightly carbonated with a strong aroma of freshly cut grass. The tartness will hit you with the first sip, but you quickly get a flavor that almost tastes like wheat graininess and ending with a dry finish.